"Just drink it and try it first."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Golgopas took up the bowl and drank it all.
The unprecedented spicy feeling made Golgopas frown immediately. After all, compared with the pitifully low alcohol content of wine, Hilde estimated that the alcohol content of the brandy in this barrel was around 45 to 60 degrees. This was equivalent to letting some newbies who had never drunk alcohol taste the flavor of strong liquor all at once.
At first, Golgopas didn't like the smell, after all, it was too stimulating, but the familiar feeling that emerged afterwards made Golgopas feel happy all of a sudden. It was an element that could make people forget their worries and immerse themselves in happiness, so Golgopas liked it very much.
"how do you feel?"
“It’s really great!”
Golgopas couldn't help but nod happily.
"Although it's a bit too uncomfortable to drink at first, once you get used to it, you'll find it's much more fragrant than the wine we usually drink, and it warms your throat all the way to your stomach. It's really great! I feel like just drinking this bowl is like drinking a whole jar of wine!"
"more or less."
To distill a bowl of brandy.
It does take a lot of wine.
However, seeing Golgopas so sure, Hilde was still very satisfied. This showed that his direction was not wrong. Being able to make a wine lover like this new distilled liquor meant that his winemaking had been a great success.
"So, Your Majesty wants me to work here?"
"That's right, because I really don't have any suitable job for you here."
Arrangements for relevant work in Section 7 of the Third Adjustment
"Recently, the Byzantine Kingdom and its surrounding areas have been at peace. You are new here, and I don't think much of your feelings when I ask you to handle some complicated matters. You like wine very much, and you are the oracle of Lord Dionysus, the god of wine. So I believe that if you are in charge of the winemaking workshop and the distillery, there will be no problem."
Hearing Hilde say this.
Golgopas knew very well that things would never be that simple.
There must be a deep meaning behind the task that Hilde assigned to him. Golgopas himself knew it well. He did not quite believe the saying that only people who love something can do it well, because alcoholics are different from other things. Alcoholics do not love alcohol, but just like the feeling of intoxication and have no way to leave alcohol. They are people with poor self-control.
Hilde suddenly wanted to put him in this place and let him drink every day. Golgopas suddenly felt a little uneasy. He knew that Hilde was never a simple person. Hilde must have made such a decision for a very profound reason. Golgopas did not want to hide this point, so he asked directly:
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, what is your intention in letting me work here?"
"Any ideas?"
"As everyone knows, I am a drunkard, a person who is unwilling to do anything for drinking. In Abydos, everyone hates me because of this. They all regard me as a drunkard who has accomplished nothing. Even after becoming an oracle and gaining the favor of Lord Dionysus, I still haven't changed my drinking habit. And now you put me in this place to be responsible for such an important job, but aren't you afraid that I will steal wine here every day, get drunk here every day, and can't do any work?"
Hilde had not expected that Golgopas would actually bring up this idea at this time. It can be seen that although Golgopas is a drunkard who seems to have accomplished nothing in the eyes of others, he is actually quick-witted and considers a lot of things. Compared with his strong and bulky body, his brain is much more flexible.
Hilde couldn't help but smile.
“You should know the answer.”
"Your Majesty, please tell me directly."
"As you said, everyone thinks you are an alcoholic who will do anything to get drunk. But I don't think you are that way. The fact that you have won the favor of Lord Dionysus means that you must have advantages that others have not seen, but Lord God has already seen. So, this is not only a job, but also a challenge. If you are competent, it means that you can overcome your desires and take on more responsibilities."
"Let me put myself in the things I love most and see if I will fall into them for this reason. This will help me judge my self-control and ability. Your Majesty is worthy of you for considering things so carefully."
A sense of mission suddenly arose in Golgopas' heart.
Hilde's words immediately perked up Golgopas. He now understood why Hilde asked him to do such a job. It turned out that she had already considered it. If Golgopas could successfully complete this job, it would mean that he was able to overcome his own desires. Only those who can overcome their own desires can take on more responsibilities. Even Golgopas himself understood this truth.
So that's the challenge.
A trial from Hilde.
"I understand. Don't worry, I will do this job well and will not let you down."
"That's good!"
Hilde nodded in satisfaction.
"Let me first introduce you to your job here."
"Yes!"
Hilde brought Golgopas to the still.
"The workers in the distillery and brewery have all been trained by me. You can learn some specific knowledge about distillation and brewing from them. I won't teach you step by step. You will learn all this knowledge in a few days. You will be the person in charge of this workshop, and your tasks are as follows."
Hilde first pointed to the distillation device in front of him.
"You need to check the status of the still and other supporting facilities every day. If there is any malfunction, you must immediately arrange for someone to repair it to ensure that the still can operate normally every day. At the same time, you also need to calculate how much wine the still distills every day and how much wine is distilled every day. You need to record all the numbers every day."
"Yes!"
“And then here it is.”
Hilde brought Golgopas to the front of the barrels again.
"These barrels are filled with distilled liquor. The liquor here is divided into two parts. One part is used to be directly shipped to the north for sale, and the other part is placed in the barrel for aging for six months to several years. You need to record the planned aging time of these barrels, the barrel filling time, and a series of other data."
"Ah, I understand."
Golgopas also has some confusion.
This... feels like it's all technical work.
“Do I need to record all this data myself?”
"Of course not. You don't need to record everything yourself. There will be clerks here to help you. Your job is to check and compile the records. All the records are in your hands. That's it. As for other things, there are also special people to take care of them. You don't need to do more work now. I will tell you if I need it later."
"Understood!"
Golgopas breathed a sigh of relief.
I feel like this job isn't that difficult.
Of course, for Hilde, this is just the beginning. Wine is meant to be drunk. If it doesn't taste good, there is no point in drinking it. Therefore, Hilde needs someone to taste the wine. This person can be Hilde herself, but other people are also needed. Golgopas is the best candidate.
But there is no need for such work for the time being. It does not take much effort to fool the Scythians. After all, the distilled liquor produced here is still supplied to the north in large quantities to the Scythians.
Of course, Golgopas noticed this as well.
"You just said that some of the wine was sold to the north?"
"Yes, to the Scythians."
Chapter 3, Section 8: The Beginning of Trade Wars
"Scythians?"
Golgopas was still somewhat unfamiliar with this word.
After all, for the Ionians, the Scythians seemed a little far away. In addition, Golgopas was not a businessman and never needed to go to the northern coast of the Black Sea to trade with the Scythians and the local Greeks. So naturally he didn't know much about them. This group was regarded as barbarians in the eyes of the Greeks.
"What is the situation with the Scythians? You don't need to know for now. If you are interested, you can ask others. But I can tell you that the Scythians are our future enemies. There will inevitably be a very big war between us and the Scythians. It's either you die or we die. This is a national humiliation, a naked national humiliation."
"I'll find out."
Golgopas really wasn't sure.
On the way here, no one else told him about what had happened before, let alone anything about the Kingdom of Scythia.
"So that's the job. As for your salary, I don't think you need it very much. If you need anything, just contact the palace supervisor. Whether it's food, daily necessities or drinks, we will try our best to satisfy you within the permitted range. As for the distilled liquor brewed in the brewery, we can provide you with a pot of it every day. What do you think?"
"A pot..."
For Golgopas, who can drink several jars of wine every time.
This amount is indeed a bit small.
However, he did not come here to drink, but to work. Hilde had given him the opportunity to taste such fine wine. If he continued to ask for more, it would be unreasonable. So Golgopas stood up straight, put his hand on his chest, and said solemnly: "Don't worry, I will definitely complete the task you assigned!"
"That's good!"
Golgopas's matter was arranged.
There is this thing about the winery.
Hilde can also breathe a sigh of relief for a while.
After all, in Hilde's plan, things like wineries will become one of the important industries of Hilde's Byzantine Kingdom. Whether it is the first-level winemaking industry that turns grapes into wine, or the second-level winemaking industry that distills wine into brandy, they will all be rolled out by then.
Once it is rolled out, there will be a steady stream of small amounts of money. These distilled liquors will not only help Hilde get the Scythians drunk, but will also be sold to various parts of the Greek world, helping Hilde make more money. Of course, this is all later. It still depends on how well Golgopas can make the wine industry. If he fails, then Hilde's current idea will be unnecessary.
Hilde's winemaking plans have actually been going on for several months.
During this time, hundreds of barrels of brandy were sent north to the current capital of Upper Thrace, Neo-Byzantium. After half a year of development, the city now has a population of 7000 people, and has built walls, fortresses and passes. Even if the Scythians and Getes attack Neo-Byzantium from north to south, the troops stationed here can easily rely on these walls and fortresses to defend against these barbarians who lack heavy siege weapons.
"Are these the goods that Your Majesty wants to give me?"
Alcibiades was a little surprised to see the barrels piled up in the new city of Byzantium.
He knew that Hilde wanted to sell wine to the Syrians in order to make the upper class nobles of Scythia addicted to drinking and lose their fighting power, which was a means of corrupting the enemy. However, when Alcibiades saw hundreds of wooden barrels being delivered here, he was still a little surprised.
At this time, Sitalses came over.
He looked up at the barrels and spoke in perfect Greek.
"Are these the goods that Your Majesty was talking about?"
"Yes, General, do you still not know what is inside?"
"do not know."
Sitalces asked cautiously:
"Is it a secret? If it's a secret, I won't ask."
"Of course it's not a secret. It's filled with wine, the same wine we usually drink, but it's also different. These wines have a higher alcohol content and are easier to get drunk with than ordinary wines. Of course, they are also more fragrant. The task your majesty has given me is to sell these wines and other goods to the Kingdom of Scythia. On the one hand, we want to pretend that we can still maintain a relatively friendly relationship with the Kingdom of Scythia, and on the other hand, we hope that these wines can paralyze the Scythians."
"I see."
Sitalces didn't really understand.
Because he doesn't drink either.
As the general in charge of all military affairs in the province of Upper Thrace, Sitalces usually did not ask too much about matters that were not his responsibility, unless he was really curious. Since Alcibiades had already told him the answer, Sitalces naturally lost interest in the matter.
Anyway, as long as it is Hilde's decision, there will be no problem.
But for Alcibiades, this incident will become a huge challenge in his life, because he knows very well that he will carry a large amount of goods into the Scythian Kingdom through the constructed road, and then trade with these Scythians.
If this matter is not handled well, not only will the mission not be completed, but he might also lose his head in the Kingdom of Scythia. So Alcibiades knew very well that the journey ahead would be very difficult and dangerous, but he was not afraid.
Because the rest is the highlight.
If he could successfully complete this task, Hilde would definitely look at him with admiration and assign him more important tasks. Then he would be promoted and get a raise, reaching the peak of his life. This was what Alcibiades was looking forward to most.
So Alcibiades said to Sitalces beside him.
"Next, I will serve as the envoy of the Byzantine Kingdom and lead the caravan to the Kingdom of Scythia. We may encounter some dangers along the way. As an envoy of the kingdom, I will also need a part of the troops to accompany me. This matter is left to you, General."
"Don't worry, I have already arranged it for you since you told me about this matter. I have selected a thousand cavalrymen. If any problems arise, these cavalrymen will immediately escort you back."
"Thank you very much, General."
The third tune, the ninth verse, arrives at the Kingdom of Scythia
After all, Alcibildes had no military power, and Hilde did not allocate any troops to him, so all the defense work of the Kingdom of Scythia had to be arranged by Sitalces. For this young man from Athens who had Hilde's handwritten letter, Sitalces' attitude was to meet all requests and provide sufficient support.
Sitalces himself knew very well that sending this young man named Alcibiades here to be in charge of trade must be an important part of Hilde's plan for the Kingdom of Scythia, so Sitalces did not dare to neglect it.
Some time ago, a road had been built in the New Byzantine City in Upper Thrace. This road started from the New Byzantine City, passed through three checkpoints, and finally reached the border between the Scythian Kingdom and the Getes. The function of this road, to be precise, is a trade route. However, due to the current state of war between the Byzantine Kingdom and the Scythian Kingdom, there is actually no trade between the North and the South.
Alcibiades led a thousand cavalrymen, carrying a large amount of distilled liquor, wine and other very precious commodities in the Kingdom of Scythia, and set out from the New Byzantine City and arrived at the border area in two days. After arriving here, there would no longer be the walls and fortresses of the Byzantine Kingdom to protect their personal safety. Alcibiades would inevitably face great danger, but for him, the interesting things were still to come.
After entering the territory of the Scythian Kingdom from the border, there will be an endless grassland. The Scythians lived on this grassland in a nomadic manner, so Alcibiades did not know when he would meet the Scythians. He brought with him several translators who could translate the Scythian language, just in case.
"It will take a full 15 days to walk from here to the destination."
Alcibiades, riding on his horse, looked at the map in his hand.
Although the Scythians were a nomadic people.
But that doesn’t mean they don’t have settlements.
The last time Hilde came to the Kingdom of Scythia, he ordered his cartographer to draw a map of the Kingdom of Scythia, marking two relatively large settlements in the Kingdom of Scythia. One was the location of the Scythian royal family, and the other was a temporary military point set up to prevent the attack of the Thracian king.
Alcibiades felt that this temporary military point should not be abolished, because although the Thracian Kingdom had been destroyed, for the Scythians, the new enemy, the Byzantine Kingdom, had replaced the Thracians. Therefore, this military point still had to play its own role, which meant that this temporary gathering area should not be abolished.
